{"id":39631,"date":"2026-09-17T20:16:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T17:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reoveemahutid.ee\/?p=39631"},"modified":"2026-09-17T20:21:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T17:21:46","slug":"holding-tanks-holiday-rentals-campsites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reoveemahutid.ee\/en\/holding-tanks-holiday-rentals-campsites\/","title":{"rendered":"Holding tanks for holiday rentals and campsites: planning for peak demand"},"content":{"rendered":"

A family home fills its tank at much the same pace every week. A guest house, holiday village or campsite does not: half-empty in May, then a full Midsummer weekend sends cubic metres a day into the tank \u2014 often with nobody watching the level. A sewage holding tank (reoveemahuti<\/em>; in legal texts reovee kogumismahuti<\/em>) only stores wastewater until a tanker pumps it out (purgimine<\/em>): no treatment, no outlet. UK readers may know it as a cesspool or cesspit. A holding tank for campsite or holiday-rental use is therefore sized for the busiest days, not the average ones. Below: the peak-load arithmetic, Vesmaco’s larger models, several tanks side by side and alarm relay outputs.<\/p>\n

The peak-load calculation: guests \u00d7 nights<\/h2>\n

The ministry’s 2015 guide on rural wastewater systems asks planners whether the load is even through the year or seasonal \u2014 seasonally used accommodation is its own example. A guest business needs two numbers:<\/p>\n

peak daily inflow (L) = guests at full occupancy \u00d7 litres per guest per night<\/code> season volume (m\u00b3) = guest-nights in the season \u00d7 litres per guest per night \u00f7 1000<\/code><\/p>\n

The first sizes the tank, the second sets the emptying budget. Both feed the standard method from What size sewage holding tank do you need?<\/a>:<\/p>\n

days between emptyings = usable volume (L) \u00f7 daily inflow (L)<\/code> emptyings per season = season days \u00d7 occupancy share \u00f7 days between emptyings at full occupancy<\/code><\/p>\n

Litres per guest.<\/strong> The best input is your own water meter: read it before and after the busiest week and divide by seven. The fallback is the guide’s planning range of 100\u2013150 L of wastewater per resident per day. The guide has no figure for guests; applying the residents’ range to guests in self-contained cabins (own WC, shower, kitchen) is this article’s assumption. For pitches with a shared sanitary block, or day visitors, measure a season or ask a designer. Add whatever else drains to the tank: a sauna house, a hot tub, bed-linen laundry, a caf\u00e9 kitchen.<\/p>\n

Days to fill at full occupancy, at 100\u2013150 L per guest per night; usable volume = nominal volume for simplicity. The real usable volume is somewhat below the nominal volume because the alarm level leaves a reserve, so check the alarm height on the drawing for your model.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Guests at full occupancy<\/th>\nPeak inflow<\/th>\n10 m\u00b3<\/th>\n15 m\u00b3<\/th>\n2 \u00d7 15 m\u00b3<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
8 (one large holiday house)<\/td>\n0.8\u20131.2 m\u00b3\/day<\/td>\n8.3\u201312.5 days<\/td>\n12.5\u201318.8 days<\/td>\n25\u201337.5 days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20 (for example five cabins)<\/td>\n2\u20133 m\u00b3\/day<\/td>\n3.3\u20135 days<\/td>\n5\u20137.5 days<\/td>\n10\u201315 days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
40<\/td>\n4\u20136 m\u00b3\/day<\/td>\n1.7\u20132.5 days<\/td>\n2.5\u20133.8 days<\/td>\n5\u20137.5 days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

Season example<\/strong> (illustrative inputs \u2014 use your booking data): 20 beds \u00d7 90 nights \u00d7 60 % average occupancy = 1080 guest-nights, or 108\u2013162 m\u00b3. With a 10 m\u00b3 tanker that is about 11\u201316 loads. Then season cost = loads \u00d7 your local price per load<\/code>, or \u00d7 m\u00b3 if the operator charges by volume. A bigger tank does not reduce the volume to be removed; it buys time between visits.<\/p>\n

From peak inflow to tank volume: the days you must bridge<\/h2>\n

volume needed = peak daily inflow \u00d7 days you must bridge<\/code><\/p>\n

That is the longest realistic gap between tanker visits in high season. Ask local emptying companies about their lead time in July, whether they work at weekends and over Midsummer (jaanip\u00e4ev<\/em>), the tanker’s capacity, and whether they charge per visit or per m\u00b3. Twenty guests and four days means 8\u201312 m\u00b3.<\/p>\n

The tanker limit.<\/strong> The ministry guide notes that small tankers hold 4\u20135 m\u00b3 and the largest about 10 m\u00b3, so a full 15 m\u00b3 tank takes two loads. It need not run full: served by a 10 m\u00b3 tanker, a 15 m\u00b3 tank works as 10 m\u00b3 of working volume plus 5 m\u00b3 of buffer \u2014 for 20 guests, 1.7\u20132.5 extra days if the tanker is late.<\/p>\n

Vesmaco’s larger horizontal fibreglass (GRP) models, values as displayed in the model table<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Model<\/th>\nVolume<\/th>\nDiameter<\/th>\nLength (about)<\/th>\nWeight<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
MK-10 D1400<\/td>\n10 m\u00b3<\/td>\n1400 mm<\/td>\n6.7 m<\/td>\n500 kg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MK-10 D1600<\/td>\n10 m\u00b3<\/td>\n1600 mm<\/td>\n5.3 m<\/td>\n480 kg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MK-12 D1600<\/td>\n12 m\u00b3<\/td>\n1600 mm<\/td>\n6.3 m<\/td>\n560 kg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MK-15 D1600<\/td>\n15 m\u00b3<\/td>\n1600 mm<\/td>\n7.8 m<\/td>\n750 kg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MK-15 D2000<\/td>\n15 m\u00b3<\/td>\n2000 mm<\/td>\n5.2 m<\/td>\n800 kg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

A larger diameter gives a shorter tank but a deeper excavation. The listed range ends at 15 m\u00b3; for more volume, ask the supplier about your options or plan several tanks (below). Options such as risers, hatches, ventilation and inlet are marked on the order drawing; check the drawing for your model.<\/p>\n

Several tanks side by side<\/h2>\n

When peak inflow \u00d7 days to bridge exceeds 15 m\u00b3, or one long pit does not fit the site, Vesmaco’s installation guide provides for several tanks: at least 50 cm between tanks, anchored to a reinforced-concrete slab or concrete blocks whose weight and dimensions are determined by a certified design or construction organisation.<\/p>\n

Footprints follow from the model table. Two MK-15 D2000 tanks: 2.0 + 0.5 + 2.0 = 4.5 m wide, about 5.2 m long; two MK-15 D1600 tanks: 3.7 m \u00d7 about 7.8 m. Applying the guide’s green-area safety zone (1 m larger than the tank in every direction) around the pair \u2014 our reading of the guide \u2014 gives 6.5 \u00d7 7.2 m and 5.7 \u00d7 9.8 m, before excavation working space.<\/p>\n

Two layouts to compare with your designer:<\/p>\n